Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Sox rally for 4 runs in ninth to defeat Giants 6-2

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Chicago White Sox Luis Robert Jr connects for a base hit in the top of the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

On SF Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 The Chicago White Sox Korey Lee hit a two run RBI single that broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon that was part of a four run rally that helped defeat the San Francisco Giants 6-2. The win snaps the Sox four game losing streak.

#2 Giants reliever Erik Miller now 3-4 surrendered two walks to the Sox Luis Robert Jr and Andrew Benintendi with two out in the ninth inning with Lee at the plate he singled off Spencer Bivens to knock in the two runs. The Sox Lenyn Sosa hit a two run single for another two runs and the Sox came away with a four run win. How much trouble did you see Miller and Bivens having trying to work out of that jam?

#3 The Sox Robert and Gavin Sheets had two hits a piece and contributed in the game with two RBIs. As the White Sox who have lost won their third game in nine tries.

#4 Michael, how important is it that Chris Casalli is starting for the injured Patrick Bailey as catcher. Bailey is out on the 10 day IL with the oblique strain.

#5 The Giants open up a three game series with the Seattle Mariners starting Friday night a 7:10pm PT first pitch at T Mobile. Neither club has announced a starter as of Wednesday night.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

ChiSox Sizemore Knows His Sample Size Is Limited

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Chicago White Sox manager Grady Sizemore photo

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO—Making out the lineup isn’t a mundane act for Chicago White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore.

“It’s something that I enjoy,” Sizemore said. “But again, there’s nothing set in stone. I’m just trying to get guys comfortable, playing in their spots. We’re evaluating it every day on where we want guys. I just want the best matchups.”

The best matchups on Tuesday night at Oracle Park weren’t very favorable for Sizemore. The woeful Sox were limited to three hits by Robbie Ray, a pitcher who didn’t survive the first inning in his last start against the Braves. On Tuesday, he was reborn, or more accurately, given a dream matchup against one of the worst teams baseball has ever seen.

The White Sox fell to 30-97, an unforgivable 67 games below .500, and they dropped their 14th consecutive series in losing the first two games against the Giants. A 14-game losing streak, and 21-game skid after that drew national headlines. And if Sizemore’s club falls behind, they fold their tents early and get ready for the next game. On Tuesday, the game was played in a brisk two hours, twenty minutes, and Chicago fell to 0-74 when they trail after seven innings.

To say Sizemore has his work lumped upon his clubhouse desk so high he can’t see out the door would be fair. But none of this is fair. Pedro Grifol was shown the door on August 8, and GM Chris Getz tabbed Sizemore to get the team through the final 45 games with grace, dignity and a whole bunch of humility.

Of course, those needs pointed Getz to rock-solid, super-steady Sizemore.

“We knew this season was gonna have its struggles based on the roster that we had,” Getz said on the occasion of Grifol’s dismissal. “When you make a change, you want to be very certain that it’s going to be effective.”

So what does effective mean in this very unusual case? It means that Sizemore, who has just one year of coaching experience as a minor league instructor for the Indians in 2023 must win at least 11 of the final 36 games to keep his club out of the record books as the worst team ever by losing percentage in the 20th and 21st centuries, a period of 125 years. It’s a weighty assignment that will draw a bunch of unwanted attention on a city and a fan base that at this point just wants to be left alone.

The 42-year old Sizemore doesn’t particularly like attention. So he is the right guy for the job. When asked if he would like this interim job to morph into a managers’ job somewhere else in 2025, a possibility if not a likelihood, he characteristically didn’t bite.

“Right now, I just focus on what I can do for these guys now,” he said after the 4-1 loss. “I don’t think past tomorrow.”

Sizemore’s words have never been terribly entertaining, but his tale of the tape is.

He’s originally from Seattle, and he graduated from high school in nearby Everett, Washington, where he played football, baseball and basketball while compiling a stellar 3.85 GPA. He’s bi-racial; his father Grady II is black, and his mother, Donna, is white.

From the managerial pedestal, his background sets Sizemore apart. African-American managers are often older not unlike Dusty Baker and Ron Washington, and have far more coaching experience and grooming, again like Baker and Washington. Yeah, black managers have been chosen to lead a bunch of reclamation projects, but not one this dire.

But here he is, and really isn’t trying to make light of any of it.

“I’m never going to waste my time worrying about stuff,” he said in an interview and article granted to ESPN in 2006. “I am going to enjoy my time on the planet, and that’s it.

“I don’t judge people. I just accept them for who they are.”

GAME NOTES: Tuesday’s game was a matchup of starting pitchers who both have had Tommy John surgery, and missed a large chunk of playing time, which today, is an occurrence that’s becoming more and more frequent.

“It’s great seeing (the Giants’) Robbie Ray, another TJ guy, pitch,” Chicago’s Davis Martin said after the game.

Martin said he felt great afterwards, departing in the fifth inning after throwing 82 pitches, which was a mandated max by Sizemore and his staff.

Ray completely turned things around by pitching into the seventh inning, after he didn’t survive the first inning against the Braves in his previous start, a 13-2 loss that was the low point of last week’s four-game slide for the Giants.

Ray strikes out nine over six strong innings, Giants make it three-straight with 4-1 win over White Sox

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San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray struck out nine Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Chicago White Sox 1 (30-97)

San Francisco Giants 4 (65-63)

Win: Robbie Ray (3-2)

Loss: Davis Martin (0-2)

Save: Ryan Walker (2)

Time: 2:20

Attendance: 28,766

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants have taken advantage of their easy schedule to get back on track, as Robbie Ray struck out nine over six strong innings, and the Giants beat the White Sox 4-1 to win their third-straight on Monday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

The Giants beat the White Sox 5-3 Tuesday night after the White Sox got the tying run to second base with two outs in the top of the ninth. It was a game that was much closer than it should have been against the historically-bad White Sox, but at least the Giants were able to get the win.

Tuesday night, the Giants looked to make it three-straight with Robbie Ray on the mound on this Tuesday night at Oracle Park. Ray started the night off with a one, two, three top of the first inning. White Sox’ starter Davis Martin also started his night with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first.

Ray threw another one, two, three inning in the top of the second, and then the Giants got something going against Martin in the bottom of the second. Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski singled to put runners at the corners with one out.

Monday night, the Giants finally got the timely RBI hits with runners in scoring position in a four-run bottom of the fifth. They weren’t able to do that in the bottom of the second Tuesday night, but Thaiuro Estrada was able to beat out the back end of a potential 5-4-3 double play, and Chapman scored to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The White Sox had Dominic Fletcher at first with two outs for Lenyn Sosa, who hit a double that bounced off the wall in left-center field. Fletcher was waived in, and he was initially called out at the plate. However, the White Sox challenged the call, which was overturned, and the game was tied.

The Giants loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the third for Heliot Ramos, who walked to put the Giants back ahead. They had the bases loaded with nobody out and a chance to extend their lead, but being the Giants, they were unable to add on.

Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the fourth, and Ray pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the fifth.

Curt Casali led off the bottom of the fifth with a base-hit, and after Tyler Fitzgerald struck out, Martin was done. White Sox Interim Manager Grady Sizemore brought in Fraser Ellard, who immediately walked LaMonte Wade.

That put runners at first and second with one out for Ramos. Ramos knocked in a run with a bases-loaded walk his last time up in the third. Here in the fifth, he lined a base-hit up the middle that scored Casali to make it 3-1. It was the first RBI hit with a runner in scoring position for the Giants Tuesday night.

The Giants were unable to further extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth, but Ray responded with a one, two, three shutdown inning in the top of the sixth. The Giants then wasted an opportunity against Touki Toussaint in the bottom of the sixth.

Ray gave up a one-out base-hit to Gavin Sheets with one out in the top of the seventh. Ray then struck out Korey Lee, but Bob Melvin pulled him for Sean Hjelle, who got Miguel Vargas to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Ray was good Tuesday night, and much more consistent than Kyle Harrison was Monday night. Ray gave up just a run and three hits, while striking out nine over six and two thirds innings.

It seems like the Giants’ starters have been posting a lot of high strikeout totals in starts recently. That’s because they have, as the Giants are fifth in all of Baseball in strikeouts this season with 1,123.

Toussaint was back out for the South Siders in the bottom of the seventh. Ramos walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mark Canha then walked, too, but Matt Chapman grounded into a double play.

The good news was that Ramos was still 90 feet away at third. Mike Yastrzemski got Ramos in with a ground-rule double that got stuck underneath the side wall down the right field line, and that made it 4-1.

Submariner Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless top of the eighth, which would have been a one, two, three inning had Dominic Fletcher not reached on catcher’s interference to start the inning. Gus Varland then threw a one, two, three bottom of the eighth for the White Sox.

Ryan Walker didn’t pitch two innings last night, and in fact, he didn’t pitch it all last night, which meant he was free to pitch tonight. Walker indeed came in for the top of the ninth, and he struck out the side in a one, two, three inning to close it out.

Robbie Ray got the win; Davis Martin got the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his second save.

A win is a win, but it would have been nice had the Giants done better than going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position tonight. I am going to keep harping on that, because the Giants getting their act together and getting consistent key RBI hits with runners in scoring position is the only way they will be able to make a run at the Playoffs in September.

The Giants improve to 65-63, but they remain three and a half games back of the Braves for the third wild card. The Braves beat the Phillies 3-1 in Atlanta.

Wednesday, the Giants can get the sweep; win their fourth-straight; and get back to their season-high three games over .500 on a Wednesday getaway game. Giants’ ace Logan Webb (11-8, 3.17 ERA) will make what seems to be a rare start after a win, and he will be opposed by left-hander Garrett Crochet (6-9, 3.61 ERA). First pitch will be at 12:45 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 72-55 +4.0
  2. Diamondbacks 71-56 +3.0
  3. Braves 67-58 —

Mets 65-61 2.5

GIANTS 65-63 3.5

Giants News and Notes:

Patrick Bailey was placed on the Injured List prior to Tuesday night’s game due to a right oblique strain. Catcher Jakson Reetz was called back up.

The St. Louis Cardinals released former Giant shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford, 37, was unable to get a major league deal from the Giants, but he got one from the Cardinals and signed during Spring Training. In just 28 games, Crawford hit .169, going 12-for-71 with one home run and just four RBIs.

With the Giants’ connection to their former players, especially those from the world championship teams of 2010, 2012 and 2014, you can’t help but wonder if a potential reunion could be in the works.

He Was a Giant? Nick Testa-C-1958-#47

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Former San Francisco Giants catcher Nick Testa who passed away in 2018 played for the Giants in 1958 (photo from findagrave.com)

He Was a Giant?

Nick Testa-C-1958-#47

By Tony the Tiger Hayes

A stocky catcher with tree-trunk legs, brawny arms and Greyhound Bus’ equivalent of platinum clientele status, Testa’s entire big league career consisted of one solitary Giants game at Seals Stadium in 1958, played during the first week of the club’s Golden Gate era.

But this was no mundane early season contest, Testa’s one and done MLB pilgrimage took place in a whacky 8-7 Giants victory (4/23/58), against the visiting Cardinals in a tilt that included a roaring San Francisco comeback from a 1st inning 5-0 deficit, and concluded on the Giants’ first ever California walk-off home run.

Reporting in the next day’s paper, San Francisco Examiner sports editor Curley Greive wrote the thrilling win was “the greatest game of the young season with a Dempsey wallop.”

The florid scribe concluded the improbable outcome was similar to “…losing a $10 bill and finding a $20. Like getting a rich inheritance from a miserly uncle.”

This was clearly a memorable day for the Giants and Testa – but his one day of big league action doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the New York City native’s baseball life.

The scrappy, 5-foot-8, 180 pound Italian-American was on nine different teams in the Giants system before reaching San Francisco in 1958 and, believe it or not, his baseball odyssey was just getting started.

Like a Johnny Cash lyric, Testa went everywhere, man.

Why was he a Giant?

More than 60 years later, it might look like Testa’s out of the blue one and done big league career might have come as the result of winning a poker bet with

Giants owner Horace Stoneham (always a possibility) or could it have been Testa was in possession of compromising photos of San Francisco manager Bill Rigney wearing Dodger Blue shower shoes… and little else.

Seriously, while Testa’s minor league track record was nothing spectacular, the 29-year-old rookie was well liked by the Orange & Black brass and teammates alike who welcomed Testa’s receiving skills, natural leadership abilities and his peppy New York personality.

But he was a slow riser. After signing with the New York Giants organization out of the Bronx’s Christopher Columbus High School in 1947, the catcher had banged around the Giants farm system for about a decade without much of a sniff of the majors.

Then in 1958, Testa surpassingly broke camp with the original Fog City club as a third-string receiver behind veteran Valmy Thomas and rookie Bob Schmidt on the depth chart.

Before & After

The Bronx dweller batted .292 as a first year pro ball in 1947 with the Seaford Eagles of the Eastern Shore League. Giants minor league stops with the Erie Sailors, Idaho Falls Russets (seriously), Jacksonville Tars and Dallas Eagles followed there after before his brief big league breakthrough.

After the backstop’s one game Seals Stadium appearance, Testa was released, but stayed on with the big club as bullpen coach.

“About a month into the season the other two catchers were doing so well, there was no way I was going to play,” Testa told Steve Bitker in his phenomenal 1998 penned book, “The Original San Francisco Giants. .“So (Rigney) says, ‘Would you consider being a bullpen coach the rest of the year?’ And I says, ‘Oh, sure, I’d love to.’ I was probably the youngest bullpen coach in the majors at 29.”

Testa returned the minors in 1959, playing another six seasons, and a year in Japan before retiring from organized baseball.

But in many ways Testa departure from professional baseball was just the start of his baseball experience.

Testa would continue to play, coach and manage for years in adult hardball leagues from New Jersey to Italy and England to Panama and Columbia. Testa once estimated that he had played in 3,000 games for 24 teams.

Testa was also head coach baseball at New York’s Lehman College and served as a popular full-time batting practice pitcher for both his hometown Mets and Yankees.

He Never Had a Bobblehead Day. But…

Testa entered his solitary big league game at Seals Stadium as a pinch-runner in the 8th inning with the Giants trailing the Cardinals 7-3. Testa was stranded on second, then remained in the game to catch incoming reliever Marv Grissom.

During his career Testa was known for his rugged catching skills, quick release and forceful throwing arm.

But Testa struggled behind the dish in his lone big league game.

Testa’s one out peg to nab Cardinals base stealer Don Blasingame, a future Giant, was high and late. The “Blazer” eventually scored on a Stan Musial double.

Later in the inning Testa was changed with a error when he muffed a wind blown foul pop up by Del Ennis.

Trailing 7-4 heading into the bottom of the 9th, the Giants rallied to score four runs to pull out an improbable 8-7 victory with all runs scoring after two outs were recorded by St. Louis.

Two runs scored on a Orlando Cepeda triple down the left field line that bounded over the head of Ennis. Testa was gearing to bat when Daryl Spencer followed by clocking a hanging curve from St. Louis pitcher Phil Clark over the left-field barrier for a game winning round-tripper.

Delirious fans showered the field with rented seat cushions.

The win was bittersweet for Testa. Despite finally playing in a big league game, he never got to chance to take his turn at-bat.

Testa was in the “hole” – two batters down the line- when Spencer bashed his game winning round tripper.

Giant Footprint:

Since relocating to San Francisco in 1958, the Giants have had five “Cup of Coffee” participants, i.e. players who played in one game, and one game only, in the majors: Testa, RHP John Fitzgerald, LHP Marshall Renfroe, RHP Jeff Stember and RHP Dan Slania.

Testa was the first, and the only non-pitcher.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Bailey on ten day IL with Oblique Strain; Casali in as starting catcher

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San Francisco Giants Chris Casali swings for an RBI single against the Chicago White Sox in front of Sox catcher Corey Lee at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris he’s known as dependable Matt as Matt Chapman took Chicago White Sox pitching deep in the bottom of the sixth inning to help pace the Giants in a 5-3 win on Monday night here at Oracle Park.

#2 For Chapman it was his 20th home run and he’s raking some of the home runs that he’s had this season had been key in either winning games or sparking the offense.

#3 The Giants got some good pitching from starter Kyle Harrison who allowed one run and five hits and walked two hitters.

#4 Harrison on Monday pitched in the fifth straight game where the Giants have limited their opponents to three or fewer runs.

#5 The White Sox and Giants in game two of this three game series at Oracle Park and the Sox will start RHP Davis Martin (0-1, ERA 3.00) and for the Giants LHP Robbie Ray (2-2, ERA 6.00) first pitch 6:45pm tonight.

Morris Phillips is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants get too-close-for-comfort 5-3 win over White Sox in series opener

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San Francisco Giants third coach Matt Williams (9) congratulates Matt Chapman (right) who scored on a sixth inning home run at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Aug 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, Aug. 19, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Chicago White Sox 3 (30-96)

San Francisco Giants 5 (64-63)

Win: Kyle Harrison (7-5)

Loss: Jonathan Cannon (2-7)

Save: Jordan Hicks (1)

Time: 2:22

Attendance: 29,209

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants got back over .500 with a 5-3 win that was too close for comfort against a team like the White Sox, but their offense came back to life with runners in scoring positions, as the Giants were saying so we’ll take it!

After the Giants snuck out of Oakland with a 4-2 win thanks to their home run-happy offense Sunday, they returned home across the bay to play the worst team in Baseball, the Chicago White Sox. Every couple of years or so, we get that one really bad team that threatens to overtake the 1962 New York Mets, who went 40-120, for the most losses in a single season.

The White Sox came into tonight’s game 30-95, on pace to go 39-123. Perhaps, the 2024 Chicago White Sox will be that team. With the Giants fighting to stay in contention for the third and final wild card spot in the National League, they were playing a team that they not only had to sweep, but that they had to absolutely pound into the ground.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison made the start for the Giants Monday night, and he got his night started with a pair of one, two, three innings. Though Harrison owes it to center-fielder Grant McCray, who took a hit away from Luis Robert Jr. with a great diving catch with one out in the top of the first inning.

Jonathan Cannon made the start for the South Siders, and he also got his night started with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the first. Cannon then threw a scoreless bottom of the second.

Harrison ran into trouble in the top of the third, as the White Sox loaded the bases with nobody out. Harrison struck Lenyn Sosa out on three pitches for the first out, and that brought up Robert, who would get robbed by great defense again.

Robert hit a ground ball to the right side, and second-baseman Thairo Estrada, who was activated off the Injured List and in the lineup for the first time since July 25, dove to his left to field it and turn an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Cannon threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the third, and Harrison escaped another jam in the top of the fourth.

Harrison was in trouble again in the top of the fifth, as the White Sox had Brooks Baldwin at second with two outs. Robert, who was robbed of hits in the first and third, would not be robbed this time, as he lined a base-hit the other way to right field to score Baldwin.

The Giants had wasted an opportunity in the bottom of the fourth, and now they were losing to the worst team in Baseball.

Estrada and McCray singled with one out, and the Giants had themselves another golden opportunity. Curt Casali then came up and shot a base-hit off the end of the bat to right-center that knocked in Estrada to tie it. It was a much-needed RBI hit with a runner in scoring position for the Giants, who were surprisingly not done yet.

Tyler Fitzgeraled lined a double down the left field line to score McCray and give the Giants the lead. LaMonte Wade hit a sharp ground ball to first that shot off the glove of the diving Lenyn Sosa, and Casali scored to make it 3-1.

The Giants were getting big RBI hits with runners in scoring position and keeping the line moving. They have been more than capable of doing that all year, which makes it all the more disappointing that they have struggled doing so throughout the season. If this offense kept doing this after the Giants won 10 of 12 at the end of May, who knows where they would stand right now.

Heliot Ramos was then able to knock in Fitzgerald with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 4-1. The Giants had their first four-run inning since their four-run 10th inning on Aug. 8 when they won that insane game in our nation’s capital in their effort to skip down before Tropical Storm Debby got in.

After three-straight rocky innings, Harrison settled down to end his night on a high note with a one, two, three top of the sixth. Harrison gave up just one run over six innings, but his outing was pretty much half and half, as he had three one, two, three innings, and three shaky innings. Harrison was quite lucky that the offense picked him up in the bottom of the fifth.

Matt Chapman led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to left off Cannon to make it 5-1. For Chapman, it was his 20th home run of the season. Cannon then retired the side to end his night.

Erik Miller threw a scoreless top of the seventh for the Giants, and the Giants wasted an opportunity to add on against Gus Varland in the bottom of the seventh. It was a wasted opportunity that would make this game a bit scary in the final two innings.

Bob Melvin brought in Spencer Bivens for the top of the eighth, and he ran into trouble when the White Sox put runners at second and third with one out. That would be it for Bivens, as with the Giants trying to stay in contention, Melvin wasted no time going to his eighth inning man, Tyler Rogers.

Miguel Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Robert scored to make it 5-2. White Sox Manager Grady Sizemore then had Gavin Sheets pinch-hit, and Sheets floated a base-hit to center to knock in Korey Lee and make it 5-3.

Rogers escaped further damage in the top of the eighth, and Chad Kuhl pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the White Sox.

Ryan Walker pitched two innings in Oakland yesterday, so he was not available Monday night. Instead, Melvin went with Jordan Hicks, who had 12 saves last season. However, the White Sox made things scary for Hicks and the Giants in the top of the ninth.

Brooks Baldwin singled to lead off the inning, and Robert lined a base-hit to left with one out. It was Robert’s third hit of the game, and if it wasn’t for the defense of Grant McCray and Thairo Estrada, Robert may have very well had himself a five-hit night.

The White Sox had runners at first and second with one out. Andrew Vaughn flew out to left for the second out, but with Korey Lee at the plate, a passed ball by Casali allowed the runners to get to second and third.

The White Sox were quite possibly a base-hit away from tying this thing. Lee worked the count full, but on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Hicks threw a sinker at the top of the zone that Lee just got a bit too much underneath of, and he flew out to left-center to end it.

Kyle Harrison got the win; Jonathan Cannon got the loss; and Jordan Hicks picked up his first save of the season.

The Giants finally had an inning where they got RBI hits with runners in scoring position, but it was their pitching that let them down Monday night. I get that we should be celebrating after a win, and we should, but against a team like the White Sox, this game was a lot closer and scarier than it should have been. The Giants did win though, so we’ll take it, but just make it cleaner Tuesday!

The Giants are back over .500 at 64-63, and since the Braves were off Monday night, the Giants are three and a half games back of Atlanta for the third wild card.

The Giants and White Sox will be at it again in this 1917 World Series Rematch Tuesday. Robbie Ray (2-2, 6.00 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and Davis Martin (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will take the ball for Chicago. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 71-55 +4.0
  2. Diamondbacks 70-56 +3.0
  3. Braves 66-58 —

Mets 65-60 1.5

GIANTS 64-63 3.5

Cardinals 61-63 5.0

*Reds 61-64 5.5

*Cubs 61-64 5.5

*Tiebreaking procedures taken into account.

Giants News and Notes:

With Thairo Estrada being activated off the Injured List prior to the game, Brett Wisely was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Giants host sliding White Sox for three game set at Oracle tonight

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San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (left) is congratulated by Tyler Fitzgerald (49) after the Giants 10th inning win over the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 18, 2024 (@SFGiants X photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Marko, the San Francisco Giants who won the second game of the brief two game series at the Oakland Coliseum did some damage in the top of the tenth inning with the score tied 1-1 when Jerar Encarnacion belted his second home run of the season a two run shot to center to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.

#2 Michael Conforto followed up Encarnacion with his 13th home run of the season a blast to right for 395 feet to give the Giants a 4-1 lead and it looked like the Giants were going to put this one away.

#3 Not so fast the Oakland A’s in the bottom of the tenth inning never a team to give up made a valiant effort to get back in the ball game when they cut the Giants lead in half to two runs when Max Schuemann hit a ball to Giants second baseman Brett Wisely who made a fielding error and allowed Lawrence Butler to score making it 4-2.

#4 With the bases loaded and two out and a chance to tie it up A’s hitter Shea Langeliers struck out swinging and the Giants came away with a 4-2 win to conclude the final Bay Bridge Series resulting in a split.

#5 The Giants will open up a three game series starting Monday night at 6:45pm PT against the Chicago White Sox. The Sox will start RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-6, ERA 4.02) for the Giants LHP Kyle Harrison (6-5, ERA 4.14)

Marko Ukalovic does the San Francisco Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Home run-happy Giants pull out dramatic 4-2, 10-inning win in final Bay Bridge Series game

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San Francisco Giants Mark Canha cracks his belt against the Oakland A’s in the top of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 18, 2024 in the final Bay Bridge Series game (AP News photo)

Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (63-63)

Oakland Athletics 2 (53-71)

Win: Ryan Walker (8-3)

Loss: Danny Jimenez (1-3)

Time: 2:42

Attendance: 32,727

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–The Giants’ home run-happy offense was not able to get Blake Snell, who made another strong start, a win, but they were able to pull off a 4-2 win in 10 innings at the Oakland Coliseum to win a thrilling and emotional most-likely final-ever game of the Bay Bridge Series on Sunday.

Sunday was set to be the final ever game of the Bay Bridge Series. The two Bay Area rivals with so much history would play this final game on a perfectly-sunny but sad afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum.

I have said words like “most likely” and “set,” because while it seems the A’s are leaving Oakland at the end of the season, this thing has been such an epic embarrassment that you never know what will happen.

Right now, the plan is for the A’s to move to Las Vegas with the three-year pitstop in Sacramento. However, with the fact that John Fisher has still yet to show that he has the dough to cover his part of the new stadium, as well as the fact that there will need to be serious conversations about playing on artificial turf in the heat of Sacramento, anything could happen.

The Giants came in four games back of the Braves for the third wild card spot in the National League. The A’s were once again looking to play spoilers after they shut out the Giants 2-0 in the series opener yesterday. The Giants were also looking to avoid getting swept in Oakland for the second year in a row.

Left-hander JP Sears made the start for Oakland, and he got the day started with a one, two, three inning in the top of the first. Blake Snell, coming off a strong 11-strikeout performance in his start against the Braves last Monday, took the ball for the Giants. Snell, too, started his day with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the first.

Sears then threw three-straight scoreless innings. Funny thing is that Sears faced the minimum in all three, but none of them were one, two, three innings.

Snell threw another one, two, three inning in the bottom of the second, and he retired the first eight men he faced overall. Max Schuemann lined a base-hit to left-center field for the A’s first hit with two outs in the bottom of the third, but Daz Cameron struck out swinging to end the inning. Snell also gave up a two-out base-hit in a scoreless bottom of the fourth.

The Giants finally got something going against Sears in the top of the fifth, as Matt Chapman and Jerar Encarnacion both got seeing-eye base-hits to put runners on the corners with one out. However, this was the Giants, so the question was how they would waste this one.

Well, let me tell you. Casey Schmitt laid down a bunt, and when he bunted in the error in foul territory right behind him, A’s catcher Shea Langeliers raced to make an incredible sliding catch. Patrick Bailey then flew out to center, and of course the Giants’ snakebit offense wasted this golden opportunity.

Snell threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the fifth, and then Sears threw another non one, two, three inning where he faced the minimum in the top of the sixth.

The A’s had their rally of the day against Snell in the bottom of the sixth. Daz Cameron and Brent Rooker both singled to put runners at first and second with one out, and JJ Bleday grounded into a fielder’s choice to move Cameron over to third.

That brought up Miguel Andujar, who took a high fastball from Snell and lined a base-hit the other way to right to knock in Cameron for the game’s first run. Bleday tried to take third, but right-fielder Mike Yastrzemski threw a perfect strike to nail Bleday to end the inning.

The home run-happy Giants would strike back against Sears in the top of the seventh. Heliot Ramos led off the inning with an absolute bomb that hit off the blocked off doors where they attach bleachers for football games out in left-center. After getting shut out yesterday, this was the first run the Giants scored in this series.

The Giants had tied the game at 1-1, but Snell ran into trouble again in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler Nevin singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Zack Gelof walked, and A’s Manager Mark Kotsay had Seth Brown pinch-run at second for Nevin.

Darrell Hernaiz then walked to load the bases with one out. The Giants had action going in the bullpen, as Snell was on the ropes. Max Schuemann struck out swinging for the second out, but Snell fell behind 3-0 to Cameron.

Snell threw a fastball right at the top of the zone that Home Plate Umpire Emil Jimenez called for strike one. Kotsay and the A’s dugout were livid, and they let Jimenez know just how they felt. Cameron took another fastball for strike two, and then he grounded out to second to end the inning. Snell got out of it, and the Giants escaped disaster, as the game stayed tied at 1-1.

It was also the end of the day for Snell, who had another strong outings. Snell went seven innings; gave up just one run; and struck out ten.

It was off to the eighth, as Sears came back out. Mike Yastrzemski stepped in to lead off the top of the eighth, and after Sears’ first pitch to Yastrzemski was clearly inside for a ball, Kotsay kept yelling at Jimenez. At that point Jimenez ran Kotsay, and the A’s manager came out to get his final say before departing.

After McCray doubled with two outs, Sears was done. Tyler Ferguson came in, and he struck out Tyler Fitzgerald to end the inning.

Submariner Tyler Rogers came in to throw a one, two, three bottom of the eighth, and A’s Closer Mason Miller came in for a one, two, three top of the ninth. Bob Melvin brought in his interim closer, Ryan Walker, for the bottom of the ninth, and Walker pitched through a one-out single to send this game to the tenth.

Dany Jimenez came in for Oakland in the top of the tenth, and former A Matt Chapman was the runner at second. Jerar Encarnacion stepped up to the plate to lead off the inning, and on the first pitch, he hit a leadoff two-run home run to right-center to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.

Melvin then sent Michael Conforto to pinch-hit for Casey Schmitt, and Conforto made it back-to-back with a home run to right to make it 4-1.

Melvin left Walker in for the bottom of the tenth, and Lawrence Butler was the runner at second for the A’s. Schuemann led off and hit a ground ball right to Brett Wisely, who had just come in to play second, and the ball went under Wisely into right-center, which allowed Butler to score to make it 4-2.

Ryan Walker walked Abraham Toro on four pitches, and Brent Rooker lined a base-hit to left to load the bases. Now the A’s had a chance to win it with Bleday coming up to the plate.

Giants Pitching Coach Bryan Price came out to speak to Waker, and it seemed to work. Walker struck Bleday out looking. Miguel Andujar struck out swinging, and Shea Langeliers came to the plate with two outs. Walker struck Langeliers out swinging on three pitches, and Walker had pulled a houdini act to close this one out.

Ryan Walker got the win, and Dany Jimenez took the loss.

If this was indeed the final-ever game of the Bay Bridge Series, it had a fitting ending. The Giants won in a ten-inning thriller; Matt Chapman, who played for the A’s from 2017 to 2021, scored the go-ahead run; and Bob Melvin, who managed the A’s from June 2011 through the end of the 2021 Season was the winning manager for the Giants.

“It’s said,” a visibly-emotional Melvin bluntly said after the game.

Melvin led the A’s to some incredible moments. In 2012, the A’s were five games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West with ten games to go. The A’s came back to win the division, and they clinched in on an epic final day of the Regular Season on Oct. 3.

Melvin led the A’s to three-straight playoff appearances from 2012 to 2014, as well as another three-straight playoff appearances from 2018 to 2020. He grew up in the Bay Area, and he managed on both sides of the bay. He knows just as much as anyone how much this rivalry means to the Bay Area, and how much the A’s mean to Oakland.

As I said above, while it appears that the A’s are leaving Oakland, the insane logistics of their move to Vegas and their three-year pitstop in Sacramento could leave the door open for a last-minute miracle that could keep the A’s here in Oakland. At this point, we can only hope that will happen.

If this is indeed the end of the Bay Bridge Series, the Giants will end up going 72-76 in the Regular Series Bay Bridge Series dating back to 1997, and they will end up going 32-42 at the Coliseum.

As for the Giants, if they got away with being home run happy, but they should absolutely not rely on home runs for wins. With this much-needed win, they improve back to .500 at 63-63, but they remain four games back of the Braves for the third wild card.

The good news for the Giants is that they’ll have the worst team in Baseball in the 30-95 Chicago White Sox coming into Oracle Park for a three-game set starting Monday night. This will be a must-sweep series for the Giants, who will begin a rough stretch on Friday in Seattle, in which 27 of 30 games will be against teams over .500.

Kyle Harrison (6-5, 4.14 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and Jonathan Cannon (2-6, 4.02 ERA) will take the ball for the White Sox. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 70-55 +2.5
  2. Diamondbacks 69-56 +3.5
  3. Braves 66-58 —

Mets 64-60 2.0

GIANTS 63-63 4.0

Cardinals 61-63 5.0

Cubs 61-64 5.5

Reds 60-64 6.0

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Fans saying goodbye to Bay Bridge Series for final time at Coliseum

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Former Oakland A’s Miguel Tejada (left) and Jose Canseco (right) made their final appearances at the Oakland Coliseum after being inducted into the Oakland A’s Hall of Fame on Sat Aug 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

On San Francisco Giants Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, the San Francisco opened up this brief two game series here in Oakland facing A’s starter Osvaldo Bido who no hit them in the six innings of work.

#2 Bido’s no hit bid came to an end when he gave up an infield hit to Grant McCray. It was quite the afternoon of pitching for Bido.

#3 Bido when he left pitched six giving up just the one hit to McCray and struck out six batters.

#4 Bido didn’t allow a baserunner until the fifth inning when he walked Mike Yastrzemski. So Bido was able to keep runners off the bases.

#5 Giants conclude this two games series this afternoon as a left handed Blake Snell (2-3, ERA 3.91) gets the start against the A’s left hand pitcher JP Sears (10-8, ERA 4.32) first pitch at 1:07pm PT.

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Giants’ offense stays dead, as A’s open most-likely final Bay Bridge series with 2-0 shutout

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San Francisco Giants Tyler Fitzgerald (right) strikes out for the final out as Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (left) puts the squeeze on the ball behind the plate at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 

Oakland, California

San Francisco Giants 0 (62-63)

Oakland Athletics 2 (53-70)

Win: Osvaldo Bido (4-3)

Loss: Hayden Birdsong (3-3)

Save: Michel Otanez (1)

Time: 2:37

Attendance: 37,551

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants’ offense once again went dead, as the A’s shutout the Giants 2-0 in the opener Saturday of what will most likely be the final Bay Bridge Series at the Oakland Coliseum, and the Giants have been knocked back down under .500.

Saturday began what will likely be the Giants’ final series at the Coliseum, and this weekend would highlight the history between the two Bay Area rivals. Jose Canseco was inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame prior to the game on this mostly-cloudy late afternoon at the Coliseum.  

It was fitting that Canseco was inducted today, as he was of course a big part of the 1989 A’s, who swept the Giants in four games in the historic Bay Bridge World Series that fall. The series was most noted for the tragic Loma Prieta Earthquake that struck right before Game 3 was supposed to begin at Candlestick Park on Oct. 17.

Despite the tragic nature of the quake and the lives that were lost, the fact that many people left work early to either go to the Stick or watch the game on TV kept the freeways mostly empty during rush hour and saved many lives. The series resumed 10 days later on Oct. 27, and prior to the game, the two teams came together to celebrate the Bay Area and honor the lives that were lost in the disaster. 

Canseco broke down during his speech Saturday and described himself as an emotional wreck, as he felt the emotions of this likely final season for the A’s in Oakland. However, Canseco was the very man who ended the honeymoon after a pair of up-and-in pitches from Scott Garrelts caused Canseco to react and the benches to begin to empty in the top of the first inning of Game 3.

With the implementation of Interleague Play in 1997, these two teams created many more memories. Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the All-Time Home Run list with his 714th-career home run on May 20, 2006 at the Coliseum. Nate Schierholtz electrified fans at then-AT&T Park with an inside-the-park home run on June 14, 2009.

As for A’s fans, they had their memories too. Eric Byrnes hit for the cycle at then-Pacific Bell Park on June 29, 2003. Another memorable moment for A’s fans was when Derek Norris walked off the Giants at the Coliseum with his first major league home run on June 24, 2012.

One memory that both teams’ fans will never forget was when Barry Zito and Tim Hudson squared off at the Coliseum on Sept. 26, 2015, as the two pitchers wound down their careers. Zito, Hudson and Mark Mulder constituted the Big Three, which played a vital part in the A’s success in the early 2000s. 

Zito then signed a seven-year deal with the Giants prior to 2007. After five brutal seasons across the A’s in San Francisco in which he drew the ire of Giants’ fans, he won the love, admiration and respect of the fans when he played a massive role in the Giants’ world championship in 2012.

Hudson signed with the Giants prior to 2014 and made his mark in the Giants’ world championship this season. Zito had re-signed with the A’s for the 2015 Season and was back with the Green and Gold after spending most of the season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.

Neither pitcher went very far on Sept. 26, but that game proved to be quite special for Giants’ outfielder Jarrett Parker. Parker hit three home runs that afternoon with the third being a grand slam en route to a dramatic 14-10 win for a Giants’ team that was grinding down the stretch with a roster of minor leaguers to defend their title.

The two teams created many more memories, and fans hoped that perhaps there could be some final memories created this weekend. The Giants looked to build off a desperately-needed win over the Braves on Thursday. The A’s have not had the greatest season, but they have been playing solid ball this second half, as they came into today 22-14 in their last 36 games.

The A’s were relishing in their role as spoilers, and they were going to make things difficult for a struggling Giants’ game that snapped a four-game losing streak with their win Thursday. Osvaldo Bido made the start for Oakland Saturday, and he got things started with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning.

Hayden Birdsong got off to a great start in his first six big league starts, as he went 3-0 and didn’t give up more than three runs in any of those starts. However, after the Nationals pounded him for seven runs on Aug. 6 in Washington, D.C., he struggled against the Tigers at Oracle Park on Sunday. 

Birdsong, like Bido, started his afternoon with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the first. This game turned into a pitcher’s duel, as through four innings, the A’s got just one hit off Birdsong, and the Giants didn’t get a single base-runner against Bido. Mike Yastrzemski drew a two-out walk in the top of the fifth to be the Giants’ first base-runner of the day, but Patrick Bailey then flew out to right field to end the inning.

Birdsong had pitched much better Saturday, but the A’s loaded the bases against him with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Lawrence Butler then put the A’s on the board with a sacrifice fly to center. It would end Birdsong’s day, and it was an unfortunate end, but he still had a strong start Saturday, as he gave up just a run and three hits, and he struck out five over four and two thirds innings.

The A’s led 1-0 going to the sixth. With one out in the top of the sixth, Grant McCray got the Giants’ first hit with a swinging bunt. Tyler Fitzgerald then walked to put runners at first and second with one out. However—you guessed it—the Giants were unable to come through and wasted it.

Spencer Bivens, who finished the bottom of the fifth, was back out for the bottom of the sixth, and he ran into trouble. Miguel Andujar doubled to left with one out, and he scored two batters later on a two-out base-hit off the bat of Seth Brown to make it 2-0.

Left-hander Scott Alexander, who pitched for the Giants the last two seasons, came in for Oakland in the top of the seventh. With one out, two former A’s made some noise. Matt Chapman walked, and Mark Canha lined a base-hit to left to put runners at first and second. However, just as they did in the sixth, the Giants wasted this golden opportunity in the seventh.

Jordan Hicks came in for San Francisco in the top of the seventh and survived a two-out jam to keep the deficit at 2-0 going to the eighth. 

As the sun broke through the clouds for the top of the eighth, McCray started the inning by lining a base-hit to right-center, and then he alertly took second, as A’s center-fielder JJ Bleday casually fielded the ball. However, it would just be another wasted opportunity for the Giants, as Grant Holman and T.J. McFarland combined to retire the side in order.

Erik Miller threw a scoreless bottom of the A’s, and with the fact that A’s Closer Mason Miller had to convert a six-out save on Thursday, Mark Kotsay went to rookie Michel Otanez instead for the top of the ninth. 

Otanez struck out the first two he faced in the top of the ninth. However, Canha extended the game with a swinging bunt, and Patrick Bailey walked to put runners at first and second for the potential go-ahead run in Casey Schmitt. 

The Giants had already wasted opportunities in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, so of course they were going to do the same in the ninth. Schmitt struck out on three pitches, and the A’s won 2-0.

Osvaldo Bido got the win; Hayden Birdsong took his first tough-luck and third-career loss; and Michel Otanez picked up his first big league save.

I can keep saying the same thing over and over about the Giants’ offense, but we all can see with our eyes that they just can’t buy a crucial hit with runners in scoring position right now. They are just floundering as the clock begins to wind down on the Giants’ already-slim playoff chances this year.

The Giants have now dropped five of their last six, as they fall back to under .500 at 62-63—so much for winning 100 games—and four games back of the Braves for the third wild card. They will look to get back to .500 again and split the series with Blake Snell (2-3, 3.91 ERA) on the hill Sunday. JP Sears (10-8, 4.32 ERA) will take the ball for Oakland in what will most likely be the final-ever game of the Bay Bridge Series.

First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

1. Padres 70-54 +4.5

2. Diamondbacks 69-55 +3.5

3. Braves 65-58 —

Mets 64-59 1.0

GIANTS 62-63 4.0

Cardinals 61-62 4.0

Cubs 61-63 4.5

Reds 60-63 5.0